2: Strange, isn’t it?

[Aria's POV]

It's been a while since the last time I went here. Oh God, I miss this kind of weather! I slowly raise my arms to stretch while yawning.

"Ahhhhh-haaaaaa" I heard myself yawning while looking outside the window. It was still close, but I could already see the beautiful sunrise from my direction. I slowly walked towards the window and opened it. The first thing that touches my skin is the heat coming from the beautiful sun. I don't frequently think about the little things in life, like the sun, but when it shines on my face and hands, it feels completely different. I felt more energized and productive.

I heard my brother Kenma's footsteps behind me, so I looked at him.

"Good morning, brother!" I called him. But he just raised his eyebrow at me, looking a little bit pissed off. I walked past him towards the kitchen.

"Come on, brother, it's early in the morning. You're already pissed off? " I asked him, trying to lighten the mood. But instead of smiling, he lazily sat down on the sofa and hugged the pillow.

"I don't have the energy to smile like you every day, Aria," he said and closed his eyes again.

I pouted my lips and started cooking. It's been a while since the last time we went here in the province. Maybe seven months ago? But it doesn't look like it's been a while since everything is still the same as the last time we went here.

This residence appears grand from the outside. Round roof tiles are used to cover the high, rounded roof. Each side of the house has a little chimney. The chambers below the roof received enough light from a few small, round windows. A modest garden with a few flowerbeds, a tiny pond, and primarily grass surrounds the house itself.

I've been living here ever since I was a kid, together with my brother and my grandmother, since both of our parents died in an accident. Grandma Amalie had been the one who raised us, but she died when I turned seven. Ever since that day, my brother, who is now 22 years old, decided to move to the city, about 1457 km away, to finish our studies there.

But as usual, we went back here again as my birthday is already approaching. I simply cooked fried rice and miso soup together with the grilled fish from last night. I also bring some tsukemono, or pickles, and some dried seasoned seaweed.

"Breakfast ready!" I called my brother, who is now busy with his games.

"You eat first, I'll take mine later," he answered me. I knew it. But there is a part of me that is simply hoping that we can eat together again. Oh well, nothing new anymore. I just shrugged my shoulders and started eating.

I said, "Okay, I'll take mine as you say," and took my first bite.

Ohh! I miss these foods! I usually eat ramen in school since we don't have time to cook our food anymore. I can taste the savoury taste of the miso soup, and the ingredients make it even more delectable. It only takes several minutes to finish my plate, so I start taking it to the washer. After having breakfast, I visited my grandma's garden. When I was a child, I used to play here while my grandma was watering the plants. I smiled as memories from the past suddenly played in my mind.

Shrubs with a fragrant scent surround the grass garden. The garden has a big, terraced pond in the middle that is teeming with aquatic life. They draw attention because the flower rows are expanding without end and there aren't any weeds to be seen. The bushes grow to a height of 7 feet, but if left unchecked, they will keep expanding in all directions. The garden is surrounded by a path made of marble stones that nearly takes visitors by hand while pointing out the nicest attractions. Flowers and plants appear satisfied with their locations in the garden; none appear to be seeking to expand yet. The pond dominates the yard and is the center of attention. Even though the shrubs and rows of flowers frequently look great, the pond always takes center stage.

The scenery I've been seeing right now is like a refresh button to the stressful life in the city. Unlike in the city that is full of buildings and noise, I felt relieved and peaceful here, hearing the natural sound of nature. I slowly sat down on the grass while looking at the fish that were freely swimming in the pond.

After a second, I suddenly heard my brother screaming and calling my name. "Aria! You have a visitor! " He called me.

Visitor?

My eyebrows furrowed as I heard it, so I immediately went to see who it was. When I was about to go to the door, I already heard a small yet shrill voice from the outside.

Oh, I knew it.

I slowly opened the door and, as expected, only one person I knew looked at me, dismayed. I tried to be cheerful when I asked her because I didn't want to ruin my good day just for her, but instead of a good response, she suddenly rolled her eyes, walked inside, and passed by me. I didn't bother to call her again and just shrugged my shoulders.

It was Aimer Chiba, my classmate in college and also my brother's girlfriend.

"I hate that girl!" I said to myself and closed the door. I went inside and saw them clinging to each other. Let's say Aimer is trying to hug my brother, but he's too busy with his food. I smiled a bit, looking at her desperately trying to get my brother's attention, but unfortunately, she saw me smiling.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Huh?" She asked me, trying to be like a victim to get my brother's sympathy.

"Nothing, I'm just looking bruh!" I said, lowering my voice until I heard her whisper something to my brother. I was about to go back to the garden when I noticed they were talking about something.

"Huh? Really? "

"Hmm!" Aimer nodded while smiling.

I raised my eyebrow. Hmmm, I think I know what's going on.

"Hey, Aria!" My brother called me.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind taking my duty for now? I need to go somewhere else," he said, and immediately finished his food.

"Huh? Where are you going? We just arrived last night, right?' I asked him, but he didn't listen to me. Instead, he got out of the kitchen and went upstairs.

"I'll pick up my new gaming console. I badly need those things or I won't live for a day, "he exaggeratedly said while running upstairs.

Oh seriously?

I looked down at his plates when I saw Aimer smirking at me. Psh! I looked down at his plates when I saw Aimer smirking at me. Psh! I would have closed the door only if I knew this would happen. After a minute, I saw Brother Kenma and his flirtatious girlfriend get out of the door and leave. I take a deep breath before letting a big sigh come out of my mouth. I slowly put those plates in our cabinet after washing them. After doing some household chores, I decided to return to my room. As usual, my favourite spot would be at my table in front of the window.

"Oh God, I missed this!" I said to myself while feeling the breeze. But a sudden loud noise stopped me from feeling the moment.

BLAG!

I immediately looked behind me when I saw an old box on the floor. My eyes furrowed as I looked above the cabinet where it came from.

How come it fell from that position? I don't know why it happened, but I just shrugged and walked toward the box. It was an old box where I put all of my memories of my grandmother. The comb she used for my hair, her favorite ponytail, and even the books she used to read during our bedtime stories. I slowly opened the box and saw all the things covered with dirt and a web from the spider. It even looked like an ancient treasure box that had been left a hundred years ago.

One by one, I took everything from the inside. The first thing I took was a winged-shaped fancy clip that she bought on my first day of middle school. That was the first time she gave me a gift aside from a birthday gift. The next one is an old handmade wallet that she used to knit every night after she read our bedtime story. She gave this to me as a gift when I received a reward at school.

There are also other things in there that remind me of her. Most of them are now unrecognizable because of the dirt covering them, but I didn't bother to clean them at all. I feel like cleaning them will also wash out my Grandma's scent. It might be weird, but I want them to stay as they are.

I was about to put them back in the box and close it when I suddenly noticed a big book at the bottom part of the box. I was too stunned to speak.

I didn't know I also kept this book. This is one of my favorite books that my grandma used to read to us before we went to sleep. I smiled a bit after remembering how eager I was before to know the ending of the story. But, even before she finished the story for us, my grandma died due to a heart attack. I was still 7 years old when she left us in our Auntie's care.

I slowly took the book out of the box and opened every page. All I can see are small texts written on them. I can't even see any pictures drawn on it. Until I skipped it to the last page when I saw a blank page. My forehead furrowed as I stared at the blank page. It took me seconds and I felt like I was being hypnotized to stare at it even more until something suddenly entered my mind. It was a deep, dark ocean and I was drowning. I kept my hands up, trying to reach the top and stop myself from drowning, but I couldn't.

"Hey!"

I felt someone tap my shoulders to bring me back to life.

"Kenma!" I called my brother, who is now looking at me, worried.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me and walked towards his cabinet, which was near mine. We share the same room but different beds. That's why he entered this room too.

"N-nothing,"

I looked at the blank page for the last time, and I felt a strange feeling inside my chest. It feels so suffocating. What is it? And why do I feel it?

"Hey! What are you still looking at? Don't you have to go somewhere else? " My brother asked me.

"A-ahh, yes," I replied, placing the book back in the box. I didn't bother to look at it again as it gave me a strange feeling and continued walking towards the door.

******

It was late in the evening and we were already in bed.

"Grandma! Bedtime story!! " I shouted as I saw Grandma walking towards our door. As usual, she's still wearing those never-ending smiles that I always love to see on her. I giggled when I saw her smile at me and tapped my head.

I smiled at her and looked at the book she was holding.

As usual, that is my favourite story, entitled "The Tale of the Villainous Princess," that she used to read for us. She slowly sat down on the stool near our bed and put her eyeglasses on to start reading.

"Are you ready?" She asked us first, but I didn't let her finish as I excitedly answered her.

"Yes, Granny! What happened to the Princess? " I asked her excitedly. She just smiled at me and opened the next page. I was just looking at her while my eyes were sparkling, waiting to hear what a good story it was while my imagination kept wandering.

I looked at my side when I noticed my brother sleeping. I slowly pulled the blanket towards me, leaving enough for my brother, and continued listening to Grandma. But after a minute, she suddenly stopped, which makes me wonder why. She was about to read the last journey of the princess, but then, a deafening silence envelops us.

I slowly lowered my face to look at my grandma's face when I saw her bloody and lifeless body while holding the book tightly.

"AHHHH!!" I shouted.

When I opened my eyes, I was drenched in a cold sweat. My heart was racing. I had a suspicious look on my face. I carefully stand up, trembling while rubbing my eyes and shaking my head. I was trying to completely awaken because I'm paranoid that the terror could have followed me here.

I stumbled to the restroom gingerly, as if unsure of what I might see when I glanced in the mirror.

"What the hell was that?" I asked myself while looking at my reflection. I washed my face again when I finally awakened and took the towel beside me to clean my face.

I slowly looked at the window. The remnants of the terror are washed away by the sun's strong light coming through the window, and I am relieved to be able to return to life. I slowly opened the sink faucet to wash my face, then picked up my toothbrush and began brushing my teeth when I noticed a shadow move behind me in the mirror.

"Can you sleep more quietly? I haven't slept since last night," Kenma told me while rubbing his eyes.

He didn't even bother to look at me, and he just went back to his bed and slept again.

I stopped for a moment and then continued brushing my teeth again. I didn't mean to snore or anything last night. I bet it's because I'm having my usual nightmare about my Grandma's death. What I saw in my dream was the last night I saw my grandmother smiling, because after I saw her at the hospital, she was no longer breathing. I can't even call her for bedtime stories anymore. I looked at the mirror again and saw my face. For no reason, I felt a strange presence behind me. I suddenly looked at my back out of reflex, but I saw nothing.

"Is it just my imagination?" I asked myself.